If you have a dog that is strong and difficult to handle on a simple leash, you may want to consider trying a harness instead.

A harness will not only benefit your dog but it will help you too. When a string dog pulls too much on a simple leash that attaches to their neck collar can cause unnecessary strain on their neck, and can be hard for you to hold and handle.

A good harness should fit comfortably around your dog, fitting around and under each front leg, and around their abdomen. Using a harness provides you with more control and provides more comfort to your excited pooch when out for their daily walks.

You can get advice on the right harness for your dog by heading to your dog’s vets or at your local pet store where you can try them on you dog and see what works best for them.

As a dog owner, you will have realised how quickly your pet become part of the family. They have their own personality and particular behaviour traits. If you start to notice some obvious changes to their behaviour, it could be more serious than you think.

When dogs become unwell, they are unable to communicate how they feel, so as their owner it is hard to determine the severity of it. Some behaviour changes to look out for are increased lethargy, poor appetite and even aggressiveness.

You should always seek advice from your vets in regards to any behavioural changes and let the vet determine what is the cause. Leaving a serious illness untreated can lead to death. It is always better to get your dog’s health checked out, even if it turns out to be nothing serious.

On top of monitoring your dog’s behaviour, remember to stay on top of their yearly vaccinations and annual health check to keep them in top health.

If you have decided a rabbit is the right addition to your family, making sure you have a home for them is very important. We have outlined the basics of setting up a rabbit hutch at home:

A disposable base- While hutches are normally made from wood, you need to add an additional based that can be taken out and thrown away. This makes it easy to clean and keeps the hutch smelling more pleasant. A good base is newspaper, it will help absorb any urine and excrement from the rabbit and it can be removed and discarded easily.

Flooring- Rabbits love wood shavings in their home as it provides them with comfort around their cage.

Bedding area- Always create a distinct bedding area for your rabbit, this can be made from paper fibres or pelleted wheat fibres. Your rabbit may move the bedding around to make it just the way they like it.

Food and water- An essential! Keeping the water fresh daily and making sure the bottle is never empty. The food bowl and water bottle shouldn’t be kept in any difficult to reach places for your rabbit.

The Jack Russell aka Jack Russell Terrier is a small dog with a big dog’s attitude. A typical Jack Russell is affectionate, outgoing, energetic and friendly. However, this small dog has its own set of behavioural problems, the following is a compilation of the behavioural traits (good and bad) of a Jack Russell.

Feisty with other dogs- A terrier enjoys living solo with little need for sociability and is ideal for single dog homes.

Intelligence- Terriers are renowned for their intelligence, they are fast learners and highly trainable.

Restlessness- Jack Russell’s are hyperactive dogs; this might be due lack of exercise. To address this challenge you might consider scheduling for some playful activity with your dog.

Who is the boss?- Russell’s can be small but do not let their size deceive you; most of them seek to establish a dominant role over their owners. As the owner, establish a dominant role earlier on in the relationship.

As a Jack Russell owner, it is important to train your dog from a very early stage; this will make you an owner of a happy playful dog.

Vaccinations work the same in animals as they do in humans, with an injection containing certain diseases your pet may be prone to getting. The vaccination works by building up your pet’s immune system as it exposes their body to a small amount of the disease, teaching the fighting cells to attack the particular diseases and keep it in the cells memory. If your pet then becomes exposed to the disease, their body will be able to attack the illness more readily.

Without certain vaccinations, your pet can become sick very quickly if they have not had the vaccination against the exposed disease. These include:

Parvovirus, kennel cough and rabies, all of which can cause death to animals not vaccinated against them.

Some vaccinations are only requiring once, while others require booster injections throughout your pet’s life. It is important that you seek vaccination information for your pet’s vet to make sure they are completely covered.

Dogs are beautiful animals that love their owner unconditionally. Caring for your pet dog is very important, from feeding them a balanced well nutritious dinner to exercising them daily. Dogs deserve to be looked after in the best possible way, this includes walking them daily. They should be exposed to new and exciting environments that allows them to explore their surroundings, and just be a dog. The amount of exercise your dog requires depends on which breed they are, some breeds require two walks a day including running, some will stay fit and healthy with a daily stroll.

All dogs should be allowed to explore, a great place for this is your local woods, with the different animals leaving their sent, dogs begin sniffing and learning as they become familiar with their surroundings.

Your pooch should be allowed to run off the lead, to use up all the extra energy they have, justifying that treat you have for them afterwards for behaving well.

Huskies have unique traits and characteristics such as loving, gentle, social, casual, keen, playful, happy-go-lucky, independent to name a few. They tend to be very fond of their families, making them a great family dog. Huskies are great with children and friendly with strangers, and are easily trained. These beautiful animals are extremely smart and excel in obedience. Huskies can provide families with great challenges as they require a lot of walking, feeding and interaction. They however do not make good guard dogs as they do not bark, instead they howl.

Huskies are frisky and full of energy, especially when puppies. They require exercise daily and become bored very easily. If you are a runner, this is the dog for you. They will go anywhere alongside you. Make sure you keep them well hydrated on long walks or runs as they have a thick strong coat as they are arctic dogs by nature.

You may feel that you are neglecting your pooch if you will enlist a dog walker for him/her every morning or every afternoon- but this must not be the case.

It is normal for a dog owner to walk their pet every day and it doesn’t alter the relationship between yourself and your beloved canine. That said, there are a few people who simply don’t have sufficient energy to walk their dogs, while others do not have the time due to their busy work schedule. Even if your yard is big enough and the pooch has enough space to play, you still need to make sure they’re walked since they need a lot of exercise to stay healthy and fit.

So should I not feel guilty?

Dogs are social animals; they must exercise daily for proper stimulation so the fact you’re going out of your way to make sure they’re walked, rather then leaving them moping about inside is a sign you’re a good dog owner. He or she must be walked daily for enjoyment. If you are very busy working long hours you do not have enough time to spend with your dog daily that’s okay, just find a good walker to fill in for you. You must understand that different dog breeds require different levels of exercise and so your dog might need the more rigorous type of dog walking or that she/he must run in the middle of the day. The big problem is how you can take a dog for a walk if you are not at home all the time? Well, this problem is solved thanks to the many amazing dog walkers nearby. There are many websites where you can find professional dog walkers and you’ll get the chance to meet them and bond with them before you handover the lead.

Based on religious or moral values, there are some dog owners who would insist that their dogs feed on vegetarian food only. While some claims have been made for dogs being able to thrive on diets that consist primarily of tofu that provide plenty of vegetable matter protein. That protein is not high quality enough to be metabolised by your dog. In fact, fresh fruits and vegetable snacks are often recommended for dogs that must lose weight only because these vegetable base snacks add very few calories to your dog’s system.

It is important to remember that even if you feel that eating meat is “immoral,” your dog has no morality; he/she is an amoral creature who lives their life based on their desires, not on right or wrong.

It is also strongly recommended that a veterinarian is consulted before changing to a vegetarian diet. Regular visits to the vet is necessary until they are certain your dog has adjusted to the diet.

It may at first sound like just another regular expense; until pet owners realise that those trips to the vet are very expensive. Just as with private medical insurance, vet’s costs have risen sharply since the early 1990’s; for those people with pet insurance, they have witnessed this rise inform of premium increases. Nevertheless, the pet insurance premium rises are miniscule compared to the huge expense you could be faced with if you choose not to have pet insurance, and your beloved pet get involved in an accident, or becomes ill.

The problem is that domestic animals are often more liable to become sick or be involved in an accident ; the more you own, the greater the chance is, and if this does occur a couple of times a year, you will soon see your savings reduce. If you are in this unenviable position then a choice should have to be made; the last thing you should have to deal with is the stress over the expense of saving your animal.

The financial strain of keeping your pet healthy can sometimes be quite overwhelming; this is even more relevant if you are experiencing financial difficulties. If you are experiencing money worries then raising additional finances can prove embarrassing at best, and impossible at worst.

Financial difficulties are the number one reason why pets do not receive proper attention; owners with pet insurance do not have these concerns because they have whatever treatment they need. Although pet healthcare insurance costs are rising they are not going to break the bank; plans are still affordable, especially when you consider the alternative.

Various pet insurance options are available. If you have more than one pet, discounts are often available should you decide to place all your pets on the one policy. All pet owners should think carefully about what type of pet health insurance provision they have made for their pet; do not leave it until it is too late.